


snow dancing

by 716ag



Series: domestic rini drabbles :) [2]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Making Out, Song: All Too Well (Taylor Swift), Songfic, chocolate chip cookies, rini - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:07:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24081052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/716ag/pseuds/716ag
Summary: songfic loosely based on all too well by my queen taylor swiftakasnowstorm + rini = domestic fluff
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Series: domestic rini drabbles :) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719640
Comments: 14
Kudos: 70





	snow dancing

_cause there we are again in the middle of the night_  
_dancing around the kitchen in the refrigerator light_

It was snowing outside.

Actually scratch that, it was full on blizzarding outside. The kind of snow that was coming from every direction, the sky an ominous gray that makes it hard to tell which way is up, down, left, or right. The storm popped up out of nowhere, the meteorologists saying something about perfect conditions for a spontaneous winter storm.

Ricky and Nini were up in his room watching Frozen when the power flickered. It frightened Nini, the small girl jumping back into Ricky's chest, his arms tightening around her in comfort. She nestled her head in the crook of his neck as he brought his hand up to run through her hair.

“It’s okay Neens, only a little flicker.” He whispered soothingly. Nini had never been a fan of storms, whether it be of the snow or rain variety. Since they were little, she would always come to school the day after one with dark circles under her eyes and her hair in a messy bun. Ricky knew she would sneak into bed with her moms and spend the night restlessly trying to go back to sleep, rarely ever succeeding.

His eyes drifted from the movie playing on his TV screen to the clock on his nightstand that read half past six. “You wanna go downstairs and figure out something for dinner?” He asked softly, figuring the girl in his arms could use a distraction. She nodded, so he rolled off his bed and held his hand out for her.

Barreling down the stairs, the couple was met in the kitchen by Mike, who looked more or less lost as he stared into the refrigerator. “Hey kids, hungry?” He asked with a smile on his face. “I was planning on ordering thai tonight but no one is delivering right now with this crazy weather. Speaking of which, Nini, I just got off the phones with your moms. They want you to stay here tonight. The snow is already piling up on the streets and no one needs to be driving right now.”

Ricky looked down at the girl next to him with bright eyes and the cheesiest grin, winking at her as his dad stuck his head back in the refrigerator. “Dad, do you need any help with dinner?” Ricky asked as he wrapped his arms around Nini’s waist, hooking his chin over her shoulder. He could feel Nini’s body shake from the giggle she was suppressing, the couple familiar with the disastrous combination of Mike Bowen and a kitchen.

“Nah, I think I can handle spaghetti.” Mike replied confidently, his head still inside the fridge. “You guys can go do your homework.”

“Alrighty pops, whatever you say!” Ricky said skeptically, he pulled back and grabbed Nini’s hand, the pair making a mad dash out of the kitchen and back upstairs. They both had finished their homework earlier in the afternoon, but Mike didn’t need to know that.

Once in his room, he hit play on Frozen and pulled Nini close to his chest. They watched the movie in a comfortable silence for nearly twenty minutes, the sky outside darkening as snow continued to fall from it. Demi Lovato’s rendition of Let It Go began to play along with the credits, so Ricky pulled away from Nini to hit the remote’s power button. Turning back into her, he buried his face in her hair and fluttered his eyelashes against the back of her neck, tickling her in the process.

“Ricky! No butterfly kisses, they tickle too much!” Nini laughed trying to squirm away from him, his arms tightening in response. Instead, she flipped around to face him, pecking his lips in an attempt to distract him.

“Hi.” He whispered softly. “So, I guess we’re suffering through dinner.”

“Come on babe, it won’t be that bad.” Nini said running her hands through his curls. “Try to give your dad a little credit.”

“Neens, you weren’t here when he tried to make chicken in the instant pot. It just got colder. If he can’t manage to press a couple buttons, how can he be trusted to boil noodles?” The boy sighed rather dramatically, making his girlfriend giggle.

“Well, we can always sneak downstairs later for a midnight snack.”

He laughed and kissed her forehead, slowly peppering kisses down the side of her face until he reached her lips. “I’ll show you what I want for a midnight snack.” He mumbles suggestively against her lips, making her giggle.

Her hand still in his hair, she pulls a little harder, deepening their kiss. He rolled them over, his body now hovering over her as he moved his lips down to the spot behind her ear that he knows drives her crazy. She framed his face with her hands, pulling him back over to her lips, his tongue running along the opening of her mouth. She let him in as his hands worked their way under her shirt and up her back, pressing her into him, desperate to close the gap between their bodies.

“Alright kids, dinner is ready!” Mike’s voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs, scaring the two teenagers. Nini pushed Ricky off of her and climbed out of his bed, fixing her hair while looking in the mirror attached to his dresser. He stood up, unwrinkled his shirt and attempted to pat down his already unruly hair.

“It’s no use even trying.” He laughs, reaching for her hand. “We gotta go before he gets suspicious.” They ran down the stairs for the second time that evening, senses overloaded by the smell of pasta coming from the kitchen and the rush of almost being caught.

“Smells good Mike!” Nini complimented him as they rounded the corner of the kitchen island. “Thanks for making dinner.”

“Anytime sweetheart! But, don’t get your hopes up. It looks like the noodles are still somehow stuck together.” He trails off. Nini and Ricky look over to see Mike raising his fork, a chunk of what looks like barely boiled spaghetti noodles hanging off the end of it. The couple laughed as they scooped their own servings into the bowls waiting for them.

Joining Mike at the table, the three of them cautiously dug into the pasta. After a few forced swallows, it all became kinda fun. Ricky and Nini kept catching each other’s eye over the table and nearly dissolving into laughter. The sauce was somehow still cold and mixed with the clumpy noodles, the whole situation was a mess, but they did their best to make it enjoyable.

After eating as much as they could stomach, Ricky collected the three bowls and began doing the dishes. Mike and Nini were making small talk at the table, his dad asking his girlfriend for her predictions of what their spring musical would be.

Ricky’s heart swelled at the sight of his two favorite people. Ever since they were little, Mike had a special place in his heart for Nini, and not just because she was the reason Ricky kept himself out of trouble most of the time. He always thought of her as the daughter he never got to have, and Ricky knew that Nini saw Mike as her father figure. In second grade their school put on a father daughter dance, and after he came home telling his dad about how Nini had cried because she didn't have a dad and wouldn’t be able to go, Mike dressed up, picked up some daisies at the store, and asked her to go with him.

The transition from best friends to a couple was easy for them, a big reason being because they didn’t have to go through the awkward “stamp of approval from the parents” phase. He finished the dishes and put the leftovers in a tupperware container he knew would never be touched again. Rinsing his hands off, he walked back over the table and wrapped his arms around Nini’s shoulders from behind her chair.

“Thanks for doing the dishes bud, we got kinda carried away talking about the musical.” His dad laughed, winking at Nini.

Ricky could hear the humor in his voice and knew immediately he had been set up. “You guys never planned on helping! You just wanted to sit around and gossip like little teeny bopper girls!”

“Well, in my defense babe, I am a ‘teeny bopper girl!’” Nini giggled, using air quotes to emphasise her point.

Ricky relaxed his arms and faked being offended for the sake of his point. This made Mike and Nini laugh even more, Ricky eventually breaking character and joining their antics. Noticing that the snowstorm outside was beginning to pick up again, he knew that his girlfriend would need another distraction soon.

“I really want something sweet!” He said suddenly, an idea popping into his mind. “Neens, do you wanna make cookies?”

Nini began nodding her head enthusiastically, shuffling over to the kitchen to begin gathering the ingredients. Mike got up from the table and pat Ricky on the back as he softly said, “Proud of you buddy.”

Ricky ducked his head as his dad told Nini to save him some cookie dough to eat later and retreated to the living room. The curly headed boy walked over to his girlfriend, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek.

“I love you.” He whispered in her ear.

“I love you too, but I’d love you more if you make yourself useful and get me the brown sugar and chocolate chips.” She teased him lovingly.

He grabbed the ingredients she asked for and pulled another mixing bowl out of the cabinet next to him. “You work on the dry ingredients, and I’ll work on the wet, yeah?” He suggested.

“Teamwork makes the dreamwork!” She winked. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and connected to the bluetooth speaker they kept in the kitchen, tapping the playlist he had made for Nini a few weeks back.

The two of them softly sang along as they began their tasks, him whisking the ingredients together as she combined the flour, baking soda, and salt. Overestimating how much force it took to mix her ingredients, she accidently sent a cloud of white powder into the air from stirring too hard. Ricky gasped at the scene, then doubled over in laughter when he saw his girlfriend's dark brown hair and pouting face had turned white.

“Oh baby,” He said through his chuckles, wetting a paper towel and wiping her face off. “You’re a mess!”

“I don’t even know how that happened!” She laughed with him, sticking her chin out so he could wipe her face off. She walked over to the sink and shook her hair out, settling on tossing it in a messy bun until she could run a brush through it. In the meantime, Ricky had combined the wet and dry ingredients, and was now sneaking cookie dough behind her back.

She turned around as he shoved another bite in his mouth, “Busted!” She shrieked, as he glanced up with wide, guilty eyes. “No more for you!”

She snatched the bowl away from him and began scooping the dough onto the baking sheet. Ricky chased her around the kitchen island as he tried to steal more cookie dough, ultimately ending with her losing the fight when he caught her waist and tickled her.

“You are too much, babe.” Nini sassed him as she finished scooping the dough onto the baking sheet, making sure to leave a little bit for Mike. She slid the pan in the oven and began to return the ingredients back to their place in the pantry or refrigerator.

“But that’s why you love me!” He taunted her as she looked over at him with a questioning smirk.

The music coming through the speaker began to play Better Together by Jack Johnson. The soft guitar melody filled the room, Nini beginning to hum along with it as Ricky flipped the light switch off. Before she could react, he caught her arm and pulled her into him, gently swaying back forth. She rested her head on his chest as his arms tightened around her.

All they could concentrate on was how magical the moment was; the snowfall, the feeling of being at home because they were together, the dancing in the glow of the light coming from the refrigerator she hadn’t been able to close all the way. The chaos of the world fell to the wayside in that moment as their love for each other deepened, the tether on their hearts strengthening.

Their bliss was interrupted by the sound of the oven timer. Ricky squeezed Nini once more for good measure while she pressed her face into his chest, not wanting to let the moment go. He flipped the light back on, offending their eyes as Nini pulled the cookies out of the oven.

Mike walked in with his head buried in his phone after hearing the oven beep, “Guys! They cancelled school for tomorrow! It’s a snow day!” The pair laughed at Ricky’s dad who was obviously more excited about a snow day than the two high schoolers were. “They actually called it early for once!”

“It’s gotta be a full moon or something then!” Ricky said, mocking his dad’s excitement. Mike ruffled his hair as he snuck two cookies off the plate Nini was putting them on, scoping the leftover cookie dough onto one of them and smooshing the other one on top of it to make a sandwich.

“Mmmm, Nini these are so good!” Mike praised, washing his bite down with a swig of milk from one of the glasses Ricky had just poured.

“Dad, that sandwich thing is disgusting. Why would you ruin our hard work?” Ricky asked, balancing the plate on top of one of the glasses of milk. He picked the other glass up and jerked his head in the direction of the living room.

“Don’t knock it until you try it, bud. It’s basically what built this country.” Mike said winking at Nini, causing her to giggle.

The three of them settled themselves in the living room, Ricky and Nini on the couch and Mike on the loveseat. They decided to watch Captain America: Civil War, because as much as they loved Disney movies, Mike said he had sat through enough Tangled and Cars when they were little to last a lifetime.

The Bowen boys (but really just, Mike) had one rule when they watched movies, absolutely no talking or extra noise, or else they would rewind the movie and start the scene over. So halfway through the movie when Mike fell asleep, loud snores suddenly rivaled the volume of the TV, scaring the teens. Rolling his eyes, Ricky reached around Nini, grabbed a throw pillow, and tossed it across the room, hitting his dad smack in the face.

“Hu- wha- ug- I’m up!” Mike sputtered, the couple on the couch doubling over in laughter. “What was that for, Rick!”

“I think you missed your lumberjack calling, dad. You were sawing down an entire forest just now!” Ricky managed to chuckle out as he paused the movie.

Mike ran his hands down his face, standing up from the loveseat. “Okay, I think I’m going to hit the hay.” The older man sighed, Ricky and Nini nodding in understanding while trying to hide the fact they were still laughing. “Listen, no funny business tonight.”

Immediately, Nini stopped giggling, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment. Ricky let out a long groan, burying his face in Nini’s neck before sitting up. He pulled Nini closer, desperate for warmth as the house grew colder from the snowstorm despite the heater running. “Do not do this, please, dad.”

Mike laughed at their embarrassment, “Oh we’re doing this. I’m not gonna tell Nini to sleep on the couch, because knowing you, Rick, you would just ‘accidently’ fall asleep down here.” Nini couldn’t help but let out a giggle at what the man said, because she knew it was true. Mike really does know them better than he lets on. “But, you two are still teenagers. Also, Dana and Carol already threatened to hurt me if I didn’t give you the speech and we all know how scary they are when they want to be. So on that note, goodnight.”

Mike left the living room and headed across the house to his room. At the sound of his door shutting, Ricky laid back down on the couch, pulling Nini with him. “I’m sorry he’s so embarrassing.” He muttered into her neck.

“Baby, I think you forget that I’ve grown up with him embarrassing me too. There’s nothing to be sorry about.” She says kissing his cheek, then climbing off of him. She stands up straight and holds her hand out to help him up.

She pulled him up the stairs towards his bathroom, the two of them making goofy faces at each other in the mirror as they brushed their teeth. They had kept toothbrushes at each other's houses since they were little kids, knowing that sleepovers were a staple in their friendship. Ricky went to his room and grabbed one of his t-shirts and a pair of leggings she had left at his house a few weeks back, handing them to her through the doorway before changing into pajama pants himself.

She walked out of the bathroom and over to his bed, plugging her phone into his extra charger that had unspokenly became hers. Turning off the light, he crawled in bed facing her, opening his arms out like a toddler that wanted to be picked up. Giggling, she slid into his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist.

They laid in the darkness for a few minutes, listening to the wind outside howl and their breathing slowly get heavy. “Do you ever think about the future?” Ricky whispered softly, unsure if Nini was asleep yet.

Without moving she quietly said, “All the time, but at the same time, I try not to.” He remained quiet, waiting for her to explain. “I don’t ever want to wish away the moments I’m living in, because I know one day I’ll wish I was back in them. But I can’t help but dream and get excited about what’s to come. Why do you ask?”

Ricky shifted so he could see her face, her brown hair sweeping over her sleepy eyes. “I was thinking about how in a couple years, this will be our normal.” She looked up lovingly, silently willing him to continue but having a pretty good idea of what he meant. “Like in a couple years, we won’t have my dad or your moms telling us “no funny business” or we wouldn’t have to go to separate houses at the end of the night. Brushing our teeth together and you wearing my shirt to sleep in will be normal. Me holding you in the middle of a snowstorm and you yelling at me for eating too much raw cookie dough will be normal. And as much as I have loved doing all of that today with you, I can’t wait for it to be our normal.”

He said everything with such conviction and ease, like it was the most obvious thing in the world that they would spend forever together. But there wasn’t a bone in her body that disagreed with him.

“I can’t wait for that either.” She whispered, kissing him softly before settling on his chest, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.

For the first time, she slept through the storm that night.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! excited to share this with you! i've been working on it for a while so i would love to know your thoughts! 
> 
> as always, you can find me on twitter, but i recently changed my username! now i'm @outerbowen ! 
> 
> i also am co-writing another au with my pal mads, so you can check out that baby on @mad4rini ! it's about what happens when firefighter!ricky finds an abandoned baby at the station and ends up meeting doctor!nini after dropping the baby off.


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